Chapter Text
It was funny how the pandemonium ensued after the danger was over. Sandor couldn’t leave but he insisted Arya had to go to the emergency room. Sandor had to cart her out to Tyrion’s limo kicking and screaming the whole while. She kept telling everyone she was fine but no one would listen. Finally, Sandor had no choice but to shut her up with his lips. He had to admit he was impressed with just how well that had worked. Arya was smiling like it was her name day and Sevenmas all rolled into one.
By the time Tyrion was able to make his excuses to his father and leave the ball, Sansa and Arya were already in the limo. He looked in the door at Arya’s big dopey grin and glanced over her head at Sansa with concern. “Just how hard do you think she hit her head?”
“Come on, Tyrion.” Sansa urged with a small smile of her own. "I’m pretty sure it’s not a head injury causing her to look like that but we had better have her checked out just in case.”
Tyrion stayed in the waiting room while Sansa went into the exam room with Arya. They decided they should keep her for a few hours for observation. Then the doctor ordered she be sent to x-ray for her arm because he suspected it was broken where Oakheart had hit her with his security baton. When he asked her if she had any more injuries she had to show him the huge welt on her chest from the baton as well.
Sansa had a meltdown and started to feel dizzy. All the attention was taken away from Arya while everyone rushed to her aid. They had her sit in a chair and bend over until her head was was lower than her knees. The doctor turned back to Arya and observed her torn dress for the first time. He scratched his head. "Just what kind of a party was this, anyway?"
At some point, the police tried to get in to question Arya but Tyrion had the doctor put a stop to that immediately. Tyrion had been on his phone with Clegane and they had some interesting discussions about the evening’s events. Later on, he took Sansa aside and told her he had to leave but he would send his limo back to the hospital for her as well as his bodyguard. He also told her to not talk to the police and not to let Arya talk to them either. Sansa nodded her head. She intended to take a law degree and was no fool.
It was nearly dawn by the time the hospital released Arya. Tyrion’s bodyguard whisked them out a side door. Sansa immediately fell asleep in the limo and looked as peaceful and beautiful as Sleeping Beauty. Arya glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked like something the cat dragged in.
Arya was carried into their building by Tyrion’s own bodyguard. Sansa trailed along afterward. Arya was complaining bitterly but once again no one listened to her.
“Oh my goodness!” Harwin exclaimed. He came out from behind his desk and pressed the elevator button for them. “Was it Ramsay Bolton?” He whispered to Sansa.
Sansa was taken aback. “Uh, no.” They stepped into the elevator. “We’re not home to anyone except for Sandor Clegane and Tyrion Lannister.” The doors started to close. “That includes the police.” She finished mysteriously.
Arya awoke sometime in the afternoon enveloped in warmth and security. Sandor was wrapped tightly around her and everything was right with the world. He was sleeping soundly and Arya just enjoyed being with him for awhile. Eventually, she went into the kitchen to search for some food. Sansa placed a bowl with some chicken noodle soup on the table along with some crackers.
“I’m not sick!” Arya complained.
“Shut up and eat your soup.”
Arya blew on the steaming soup. “How long ago did Sandor get here?”
“I don’t know, maybe a couple of hours ago.”
“Oh, I guess he wasn’t really all that worried about me.” Arya frowned.
Sansa sighed. “Okay, here’s the deal. Sandor and Tyrion decided some things between them while they were on the phone. I’ll let Sandor tell you about that. The other thing is that Tywin Lannister had a heart attack last night right after we left the party. The excitement was probably too much for him. Tyrion has been with the family at his bedside at the KLU Med Center and Sandor wasn’t able to get away.”
Arya dropped her spoon. “What?” The news made her feel funny for some reason.
. . . . .
Arya went back into her bedroom and crawled back into bed with Sandor. He rolled over and pinned her to the bed with his body while being careful to keep clear of her injured arm. “All right, Girl. I think it’s time you told me exactly what happened.”
Arya squirmed. “I already told you last night.”
“Is that so? I think you may have left out a few things.” Sandor’s deep brown eyes were looking straight into her own.
“I . . . what do you want to know?”
Sandor traced her lips with his finger. “I’m serious, Arya. I was never so frightened in my life.”
Arya felt a pang of guilt. “All right. I may have left out the part where Rolf forced me into the library at gunpoint and bound my arms and my legs.”
Sandor took a breath as if he was going to say something but then he just dropped his head to her shoulder. Arya put her arm around him and smoothed her hand on the back of his head.
“I wasn’t in any real danger from him. He was just trying to keep me out of the way.”
Sandor pushed himself up again so he could look at her. “We found part of your dress on the chair. How did that happen?”
“Oh, I did that. It was in my way. You can’t kick in a ball gown, Sandor.”
“You do realize he would have killed you if it served his purposes, don’t you?” He said harshly.
“I tried to go for help after that. I just trusted the wrong person.” Arya’s lips trembled. “I know I made some mistakes.”
Sandor couldn’t stand it. His lowered his lips to hers and kissed her as tenderly as he could. Arya returned his kisses and her hand slid under his shirt. She touched him so softly that it made him shiver. She took hold of his shirt and tried to lift it over his head. Sandor found himself ripping it off for her and flinging it across the room. She used her nails to tease him. She raked down his belly, lower and lower and lower until her hand slid under the waistline of his shorts.
She could hear his breath catch in his throat. He was hard and straining against her fingers. He was sucking his breath in and out against her lips. He attempted to fight her. “Arya, your sister is home.”
“That’s what the lock on the door is for, remember?” She murmured teasingly. Sandor got up and locked the door. He then stripped naked before he got back into bed. He knew he couldn’t resist her. He didn’t even try. He finally had to admit to himself that not only was he unable to resist, he didn’t want to resist. Who knew that giving in could feel so good?
When they finally came up for air, Arya was purring like a kitten. Sandor clasped her against his chest and she burrowed her face into the side of his neck. He’d submitted at first but then he’d shown her a thing a two. He wasn’t always the one who had to be shouting for more. Arya glanced up at the smug look on Sandor’s face. She decided she would let him have his little victory this time. She would just double down on him the next go around.
“Arya, I’m probably going to have to leave pretty soon.”
“What? No!”
“I want to explain to you a couple of things.” He turned to look at her. “You and Sansa have to find an attorney to help you make a statement to the police. Tyrion and I have agreed to leave the Faceless Men out of the narrative.”
Arya sat up. “You what?”
“So far, you, me, Sansa and Tyrion are the only ones who know about their involvement with the security team and the ball. I think it would be best to keep it that way. I mean, obviously, they were not there to harm the Queen.”
Arya tried to speak but Sandor held up his hand.
“I think its best we protect you from your association with them. Not only would it hurt your reputation but I’m hoping if we don’t mention them it will protect you from any reprisals from them.”
“But Sandor . . .”
“When I gave my statement to the police, I never mentioned Jaqen H’ghar nor his true line of work. I told them about Rolf and the photographer coming to our aid but not that the photographer had a gun. When the police informed me that both of them couldn’t be located, I acted surprised.”
Sandor rubbed his neck. “When I told them about your bodyguard, Finn, I just said you and Sansa suspected something was wrong because of the email Sansa had received. I never mentioned you thought he was a Faceless Man. Just so you know, he got away in all the confusion as well. As far as the police know, they all may have been accomplices of Arys Oakheart’s but that’s it. One other thing, you are going to have to explain your dress in the library. You said Rolf bound you but there was no evidence of that.”
“I picked up the zip ties and the rope and stuffed them into my handbag.” Arya admitted. “I can make up something about my dress but Rolf took the phone cord.”
“Hmm, it’s too late to do anything about that. I’m sure the police have already noticed. After they found your dress in there, I’m sure they went over the room very thoroughly. It’s better not to mention it. If the police have any more questions for you, they can ask through you attorney. Whatever you do, don’t try to talk to them on your own.”
“So Varys had hired Oakheart to kill Daenerys?”
“The rumor is that the Queen and Varys were at odds for a long time. He thought her politics were dangerous and he disapproved. That’s why she was getting ready to fire him and was looking for a replacement.” Sandor snorted. “If he hadn’t panicked, he probably could have just walked out the door of the Red Keep. It wasn’t like anyone knew he was involved. Arys Oakheart wasn’t in the position to tell on him at that moment.”
“Yes, Sandor. Remind me to never get in the way of your fist.”
“You don’t ever need to worry about anything like that, Girl.”
. . . . .
Shireen, Hot Pie, Gendry and Pod dropped in at dinnertime. They decided to order up some Dornish take-out. They had some lamb pitas and grape leaves stuffed with raisins, onions, mushrooms and fiery dragon peppers. Arya didn’t tell Sansa but it was much more fulfilling than canned chicken noodle soup. They were all gathered in the living room and the food was spread out on the coffee table.
Hot Pie had made her a get well chocolate cream pie. Arya hopped up and gave him a kiss. “You certainly know the way to a girl’s heart, Hot Pie.” Arya took a bite and then turned to all her friends. “Thank you all so much.”
“You’re welcome!” Shireen chirped. “I hope you know you scared us all silly.”
Gendry glared at Arya. “Just what did you think you were doing?”
Arya told them about Sansa’s email from the security agency and how they’d been suspicious of their bodyguard and how she’d been tricked by Arys Oakheart.
Pod looked at her strangely. “So, instead of running for help when you had the chance, you just decided to fight him yourself and save the Queen?”
Sansa piped up. “Yes, Pod. She’s that insane.”
“You know,” Gendy began. “When he first attacked you and you were defenseless, he could have easily killed you right then. I’m sure he meant to kill you. I mean, after all, you could identify him.”
Arya swallowed hard. Gendry was absolutely right. He got up and made Pod move so he could sit next to Arya on the sofa. His face softened and he gave her a hug. “I’m glad you’re still with us even though you are so exasperating.”
All her friends suddenly realized just how much danger Arya had faced. Shireen leaned over and gave her a big hug as well.
Pod was sitting on the floor on Sansa’s expensive wool rug. “You were truly amazing fighting like that, Arya. I told everyone around me that you were my date.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t let Sandor hear you say that.” Hot Pie chimed in.
Shireen smiled. “On the bright side, you don’t have to hide your relationship with Sandor any longer. Everyone saw the way you were kissing your hero.”
“Hey wait a minute!” Arya protested. “I could have beaten Arys Oakheart by myself. As soon as my head cleared up, I would have had him.”
Sansa shook her head. “Arya Stark! You will stay out of trouble. I’m glad school is starting. You need to keep your head down and into some dusty old tome on ancient history.”
“Oh, no! This is the worst time to break your arm, Arya.” Shireen fretted.
As the others went out the door, Gendry lagged behind. “I’m going to tell you something about me and Myrcella and I want you to keep it in the strictest of confidence.” He paused. “We are dating.”
“Uh, Gendry, that’s not really a secret. Plenty of people saw you together at the ball.”
He rolled his eyes. “No, that’s not the secret. Myrcella is not really my half-sister. She found out when she had some medical issues that Robert Baratheon is not really her father.”
“What!”
“I shouldn’t really tell you this but she’s not so sure that he’s Joff’s or Tommen’s father either.”
“Who is their father, then?” Arya asked.
“I’d rather not say.”
. . . . .
Arya was disappointed because Sandor wasn’t able to come back that evening to see her. She didn’t sleep well that night and Sansa had to go to work the next morning. She was going to try to get them in to see a good attorney later that afternoon. After Arya had breakfast with Sansa, she had to call work and explain she was going to be out for awhile. After Sansa left, Arya fell back into bed.
Instead of giving other people massages, she felt as if she was in need of a little TLC herself. At some point she began to dream about Jaqen. She could almost smell his spicy tea. It was a decoction of black tea leaves, green cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, ground ginger and black peppercorns. It was simmered with milk and sweetened with a dash of honey.
She slowly came awake and opened her eyes. There was a cup of steaming tea on her bedside table. She sat up. The tea was so hot; she had to blow on it before she could take a sip. She began to think about why the Faceless Men would work to protect Daenerys. If the Queen was to be given the sacred gift of death by Arys Oakheart, why would they interfere? It seemed to her that if they saved a life, they would want a life in return since they would not want the Many-Faced God to be cheated. It seemed likely that the person who hired them to save Daenerys would have to give a life in return.
Contrary to popular belief, most of their killings weren’t flashy front-page news. They actually specialized in making deaths look accidental or natural. They were adept at poisons of all kinds. It wouldn’t be hard to make it appear someone had a heart attack for instance. She put the cup of tea back onto the table. Had they already poisoned Tywin Lannister but then had to save him because they weren’t owed a death? Had Arya ruined their plans? After all, they hadn’t saved the Queen, she had.
Who would want Daenerys saved at Tywin’s expense? Could it possibly have been Cersei, Joff, Jaime or Tyrion? It was well-known that Tyrion and his father did not get along. Tyrion took an avid interest in politics. Had he known in advance that Daenerys would ask him to be her new Hand? Tyrion had also been easily persuaded by Sandor to omit mentioning the Faceless Men to the police. Had it been for Sansa and Arya’s benefit or his own? She really hoped her painkillers were making her paranoid and none of her crazy conspiracy theories were true.
Arya picked up her tea and found Jaqen at the kitchen table where she joined him. Her phone and flint knife were lying on the table in front of him. He was holding his cup of tea. She looked at his tanned, perfectly formed hands. She remembered his hands. He had taught her to fight with those hands. He had taught her to use a variety of weaponry too. His hands could be used equally well for offense or defense or more subtly for seduction. Unfortunately, his hands were also used for giving the gift of death. She had many good and bad memories of his hands but she knew it was his eyes more than anything else she should be wary of. She was trying her best not to look into his pale blue eyes at the moment.
“How is a lovely girl feeling today?”
She glanced up involuntarily and caught his eyes but then quickly looked away. “I’m fine. The Starks are known for their hard heads.”
He graced her with his rich, throaty laugh. “Just so.” He reached out and took her hand. “They also seem to have more courage than sense.”
Arya gently removed her hand. “If you are looking for an apology, you should know you will not receive it.”
He studied her. “A man has already accepted he cannot change Arya Stark.”
Her eyes flashed angrily. “No, that’s not what I meant. I meant I’m not going to apologize for robbing the Many-Faced God of Tywin Lannister.”
Of course, he didn’t react at all. “A man shall not discuss that with a lovely girl.”
She knew the Faceless Men had mistakenly suspected that Sandor was going to kill the Queen. She understood that when Jaqen first came to town he’d had no obligation to warn her. As a matter of fact, he had jeopardized their whole operation by doing so. In a way, if he hadn’t raised her suspicions, their operation may have very well been successful and the sacred gift would have been given. She was suddenly very afraid for his safety.
She reached out and took his hand. “You shouldn’t have come here. What if the order finds out what you have done?”
His jaw clenched. It seemed he was having a little trouble controlling his face. “A man has been careful. Although, they may have been right about me; it seems a man has no sense where a lovely girl is concerned.”
She had suspected that he had only started a romantic relationship with her because he had been assigned to bring her into the order and he’d been unable to achieve that in any other way. They did things like that. They weren’t above infiltrating people’s lives and seducing them to achieve the Temple’s goals. It was called the long game. She wondered if she would ever know the truth.
Arya pressed her advantage. “Was it Tyrion? I need to know because of my sister.”
He frowned. “That is not a girl’s business.” Arya rubbed her thumb over his hand in a little seduction technique of her own. He continued slowly. “A man only said those things about Tyrion because he didn’t want a lovely girl’s sister to go to the ball with him and put herself in danger. That was all there was to it.”
“Did you take her dress?”
He looked away. “I thought to take both of your dresses but I could not find yours.” He suddenly got to his feet. “It was for the best that you left Braavos when you did. A man refused to believe it at the time but he believes it now. A man does not want a lovely girl to be exposed to deceit and danger. I cannot say I like Clegane. You can do better. You do not really need a man at all. You already have everything you need inside of you.”
Arya held her tongue. She knew she didn’t need Sandor but she wanted him more than anything.
He walked to the door. “A man has left many things unsaid, Arya Stark. That too is for the best.” He bowed. “Valar morghulis.”
Arya answered. “Valar dohaeris, Jaqen.”
. . . . .
After Arya and Sansa left the attorney’s office and had finished their statement for the police, they went out to dinner. By the time they got back to their building it was dark and it was pouring rain. They hurried up the street and saw one of Sansa’s neighbors was helping an elderly resident into the building with her groceries. The neighbor had looped the leashes of his two great black mastiffs over the post on the railing near the door. The doorman then disappeared inside as well.
Arya caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and realized Ramsay Bolton was coming for her at a dead run with his skinning knife in his hand. Sansa was further ahead of her and had reached down to pet the two dogs. She had caught sight of Ramsay too. She calmly reached up and flipped the mastiffs’ leashes off the top of the post. “Get him boys!” She shouted.
After Ramsay had been hauled away in an ambulance, Sansa apologized to Harwin for all the blood on the sidewalk. The rain had stopped and most of it was still visible.
“It’s no problem, Ms. Stark.” Harwin squeaked. Arya thought the same could be said for Ramsay. He wasn’t going to be any problem for a long time either.
. . . . .
Arya was glad that Jaqen had told her that her suspicions about Tyrion were groundless. Even though she did not particularly like Tywin Lannister, she still believed he should be warned that someone was out to get him. She supposed she should leave that to Sandor. She just wanted to live her life for awhile without any drama.
After Sandor arrived, Sansa decided to let them have a little privacy and went to spend some time with Tyrion. Arya and Sandor sat on the sofa for a little while and talked about recent events. Then the talk turned to Arya’s upcoming classes.
“Arya, I’ve decided I’m going to move out of the Baratheon security complex and get my own place.”
Arya’s dark brow lifted. “Are you allowed to do that?”
“I don’t care if I’m allowed or not. I want my own place where we can be alone.”
“Why, Sandor, however shall we spend our time together? Are we going to read medieval history to each other?”
“Don’t you worry about how we will spend our time, Girl.” He growled. “I have some major plans for you.”
“Plans?” Arya teased. “What sort of plans?”
“Are you asking for a preview?” He challenged.
Of course, Arya could never resist a challenge. She stood and held out her hand. “Come along now, Sandor, lets’s go in the bedroom and you can tell me all about your plans.”
He stood and looked down at her with a small smile playing around his lips. “Talking is overrated. Everyone knows that actions speak louder than words.”
When they got into the bedroom, Arya paused. “Would you like to see some something special, Sandor?”
“Of course.”
Arya bent down onto the floor and reached under her bed. She removed a very old, intricately carved, wooden case from underneath it and then placed it on her dresser. “This has been passed down in my family for generations. It was given to me by my father." She unlocked the case and opened it reverently. It contained a rather sharp weapon. “This is it. It’s Arya’s Valyrian steel dagger.”
Sandor stared at her. “Is it for real?” He breathed.
“Of course it is.” She picked it up and twisted her wrist back and forth so that the light glinted off the blade’s greenish highlights. “I know you didn’t believe me the first time I told you but I can assure you, the Night King was slain with this by my ancestor.”
Sandor looked into Arya’s grey Northern eyes. He was a pragmatic man and not prone to flights of fancy but if her ancestor was anything like her he knew it had to be true.
“Have you ever seen anything as beautiful as this?” She asked.
Sandor took the dagger from her hand and admired it for a few moments before he returned it to its case. “Yes, Girl. I have seen something even more beautiful than that. I’m looking at her right now.”
Arya led him to the bed. “I’m ready, Sandor.”
He couldn't believe she was ready to give herself completely to him at last. Sandor carefully removed her clothing and then his own. He couldn’t hide the way he was shaking. Arya reached out and put her arms around him to comfort him. “It’s all right, my love.”
“I love you, Arya.” Sandor somehow managed to say before his emotions got the better of him.
He lifted the most precious woman in the world into his arms and gently placed her on the bed. She opened her welcoming arms and he sank down into the warmth of her body and the shining light of her soul. Sandor made love to her with all the passion in his heart. Arya responded by calling for him over and over again. He had believed that he would always be left wanting and that he could never have enough of her but he had been wrong. She’d given him everything he could have ever wanted. She had satisfied the need inside of him just as he had satisfied hers.